


Redemption

by Tosskah



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, Prison, Redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 21:22:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16312913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tosskah/pseuds/Tosskah
Summary: After the events of Sozin's Comet, Azula faced a prison sentence to atone for her crimes. She was trapped not only within a cell, but in a punitive corset that prevented her from drawing a large enough breath to firebend. Ty Lee visited when she could, but the former princess was deteriorating mentally and physically. That is, until Ty Lee proposed an alternative to her sentence.





	1. Redemption

The princess’s bruises healed soon enough, but she could feel the precise punches to her joints every moment she let her mind wander. Ty Lee.  The betrayer.  And even though Ty Lee and Mai were thrown into cells of their own, she took no satisfaction in it.  That was when reality slipped out of her grasp, allowing Zuko and that water tribe girl brought her down. The memory of that  defeat still stings.

No, it’s more than that. It burns.The knowledge that she  _lost_ writhes in her chest as a white flame.  Not that she has seen a flame since her own brother locked her away. That, too, is an ache. It would be more than simple to escape if she could conjure so much as a spark…. but Zuzu has seen to that as well. It wasn’t enough for him to merely cage her. Chains for her wrists and ankles don’t flatter as well as the royal jewels. Even then, she could simply melt through them and be on her way. No, the final incarceration is by far the most sinister. With this, the other measures are irrelevant - although still in place. A plain corset, cinched impossibly tight to be worn for every moment of her imprisonment. Who knows when she could be released? “When you’re ready,” is all Zuko would say on the matter. 

The memory of those words smolder. What right does a banished prince have to be Fire Lord? The throne is hers by right! Father passed the title to her, it was her coronation day, the power was hers-! The thoughts overwhelm her, and her usual labored breathing becomes dangerously shallow. Gulping, gasping, she fights the rising sensation of panic. Finally, she manages a breath as deep as her prison will allow. Her hammering heart begins to slow.

Her calm comes not a moment too soon, as the metal door to her cell clangs open. The princess has her back to the door, and she can’t stop herself from startling at the sudden noise in her normally silent room.   “Visitor,” grunts the guard. The door whines as it swings shut again, eliciting another cringe. Azula does not turn. The quiet footsteps that approach her are too familiar to be mistaken. It’s not like anyone else would visit her anyway.

_I don’t want to see you_ , she thinks as venomously as she can.

“I know you probably don’t want to see me,” the high voice quavers, as if she heard the thought, “but… I want to see  _you_.” The words hang in the air, and Azula almost replies. Words well up in her throat and threaten to spill out; accusations, shrieks, questions about the outside world, anything and everything at once. She clears her throat and forces all of it down, down, down, far from her trembling mouth. How she longs to turn and see that soft, kind face outside the bars. Deep, understanding eyes, and a gentle smile, framed by hair as smooth as the palace silks. It is the face of her betrayer.

Ty Lee. Silence stretches out, but Azula can’t say how long it lasts. Time is different here. The bender is certain she won’t give her visitor the satisfaction of acknowledgement, although her mind is roiling with comments she knows will tear through Ty Lee’s fragile heart. There would be some satisfaction in that, and that is a rare feeling indeed. It is tempting, to say the least. Finally, the newly anointed Kyoshi Warrior finds the will to continue.

“I just wanted… I wanted to tell you I’m sorry. I know that you must hate me-” her voice breaks at this, “-and I’ve never known you to forgive, or, or give second chances. But you know why I did it, don’t you?” 

Azula wills herself to be as still and silent as the stones around her.  _Because you were lying through our entire friendship? Or maybe Mai had something better to offer…._

The visitor clears her throat and continues, “I did it because I love you. I still do. I wanted to be with you! But… can’t you see, now, how bad your father was for you?” Despite her resolve, Azula flinches at the mention of Ozai. “You don’t have to live like that anymore, don’t you understand?? You can live your life without that pressure, without feeling like any mistake would make him treat you like Zuko! You’re free.” Ty Lee has become so emotional that the princess is sure she’s crying. And yet, her statement is so completely absurd that Azula does not contain her laughter. It is a harsh cackle - a far cry from the poised royal chuckle her laugh used to be. 

“And they say  _I’m_  crazy,” she gasps, paying the price for her outburst as the corset cuts every breath in half. Her giggling is more like wheezing, echoing eerily off the walls. When she’s too exhausted, she awkwardly rolls, encumbered by the chains bolted to the ground. At last, she faces Ty Lee. The light in the cell is dim, but the tear streaks are visible, and she’s clearly disturbed by the sudden laughter. 

“You don’t know,” Azula gulps some air, “ _anything_. You’re just. A nobody. And I’m done. With you.” The speech visibly drains her, and she pants afterward. Before her companion can reply, she hoarsely calls for the guards. It is doubtful even Ty Lee heard her, let alone the guards outside the door.  She calls once more to similar effect. She grits her teeth, but her next attempt is interrupted by Ty Lee’s clear voice, echoing her request. The key jangles into the lock almost instantly, eliciting a growl of frustration from Azula. 

“She’s leaving,” Azula rasps, trying to sound authoritative, but coming across feeble. 

“Think about what I’ve said. I’ll come back later, okay?” Ty Lee is so calm. It’s infuriating. And her voice contains flecks of pity for the prisoner. The princess pierces her with her most lethal look. Ty Lee does not react, but simply walks away. Azula’s breathing is shallow again.


	2. Playdates

Things used to be so effortless between them.

Royal playdates were a necessary political commodity, but that didn’t stop the girls from enjoying themselves. Azula had never really had a playmate before. There had always been other children, or even adults to order around when she had desired it, but never someone that could be called a friend. Even Zuko would always get scared and run off to find Mother. How boring!

Ty Lee was never boring. She was always laughing, which was an unusual sound anywhere on the Royal Grounds, let alone in the gardens where they played. They never ran out of games to invent. There was always a new reason to chase after each other, or try to spy on the servants, or show off the techniques their tutors were teaching them. Sometimes Azula would find herself laughing during their games, too.

The princess could not contain her giggles the time the two of them decided to stalk Zuko through the palace. In truth, it wasn’t their stealthiest mission because they would leap behind a column a second too late, and not even bother to stifle their chuckling. Zuko eventually spun around to face them, huffing, “Cut it out, Azula!! I don’t want to play with you guys!” His outburst was so sudden that the girls couldn’t even pretend to hide, and his outrage only fueled their giggle fit. Hearing the crown prince groan in frustration and watching him stomp off had the pair howling. Azula had to sit until she could stop laughing long enough to catch her breath. Getting a rise out of Zuko had never been so satisfying. It was then she realized how enjoyable it could be to work with another to accomplish her goals. 

Even when no playdates had been arranged, it wasn’t difficult for the princess to demand the Royal Chaperone to send a summons to Ty Lee’s family, or order a palanquin to take her to the residence. It’s not as if the chaperone or anyone in Ty Lee’s family dared oppose her. Best of all, Ty Lee wouldn’t want to refuse in the first place. Even at the Royal Fire Nation Academy for Girls, they always found time to steal away and play a prank or some secret game.

Once, when they were twelve, the two of them decided to punish one of the instructors for keeping them apart during class.  Well.  Azula made the plan, then told Ty Lee what she would need to do. Of course, Ty Lee accepted with her trademark enthusiasm. They crept to the basement of one of the classroom buildings, and gathered up a multitude of fire ants and a few bat-spiders for good measure (with only minimal complaints from a squeamish Ty Lee). They were absolutely silent as they lined the jars up inside the entrance to the teacher’s cramped quarters. The only warning the woman had was the gentle clink of the glass as it hit her floor, spilling out a swarm of irate insects. The girls were long gone by the time their instructor woke with a shriek, and it was then they allowed themselves to enjoy their victory with a relieved laugh- although not loud enough to let anyone know they had broken curfew. Azula could still remember the erratic pace of her heart during the adventure, and how she thought she might not be able to gather enough bugs with her focus drifting to Ty Lee. Even after they were safely away from the scene of the crime, the princess’s  heart was still thundering as they huddled in their hiding place. At the time, she prescribed it to the adrenaline from the prank, but that didn’t explain the way her heart leapt  when Ty Lee met her gaze and whispered, “That was so fun! What a great idea, Azula!” There was something about the way she said her name that always made her feel different than when anyone else did.

Her body had a similar reaction when she realized she would assemble her own team to capture the avatar and fix Zuko’s mistakes. She had wasted no time to get to the circus. Seeing her after all that time, the sensation of their bodies together when they embraced caused emotions to well up that the fire bender could neither describe nor name.

But that was all over with now. It had been months since Azula heard laughter (the guards sharing a whispered joke outside her cell door- mocking the fallen princess, perhaps?) and the last time she had smiled had been when she fought Zuko and that water tribe peasant on her coronation day. 

And yet…. As much as she hated her mother, father, and brother, she had to admit she owed them a small debt for introducing her to the one person that could be counted on to make her happy. The knowledge was not enough to earn any forgiveness, however. She knew what they would say if they found out the truth of how Ty Lee made her feel. Father would be so furious. Zuko may have spoken out at a war meeting, but at least he could still carry on the royal bloodline. A princess should be able to do whatever she pleases, but if she didn’t marry and have children, the succession would be in jeopardy, and would lose everything anyway. The words from Ty Lee’s last visit still sting: “I wanted to be with you!” Past tense. Wanted. Not anymore. Could Azula truly blame her? She used to have power and wealth. She could offer Ty Lee the world. And now she lived in a prison in borrowed rags. Although… was Ty Lee right? Was there a sort of freedom in her imprisonment?

With Mother gone, Father deposed (probably in a cell like hers. Azula felt no remorse when she thought of this), and Zuko on the throne- she grimaced at this- perhaps… perhaps she would be allowed to pursue her own romantic interests. Interest. Ty Lee. The idea that they could actually be together makes her feel dizzy. It must be from her hammering heart, and she pushes the ideas and sensations out of her mind before she starts gasping. She hears Ty Lee’s voice so clearly…. “I love you. I still do.” Surely she couldn’t mean that. After all Azula had put her through? Impossible. Her heart flutters just the same.

She can’t help but long to hear the delicate music of Ty Lee’s laugh again. For a moment, she thinks she does hear a faint echo of it inside her cell, and she can’t stop herself from anxiously whipping around to inspect the barren, stone room. For just one instant, she thought she might not be alone… but it was a ruse, perhaps just the wind whistling through rock.

Rage boils within at this realization, and there is a shadow of a spark in her palms before she feels the sharp bite of the corset, and the tears rolling down her face.


	3. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sadistic guard causes Azula to visit the infirmary. When Zuko comes to investigate the incident, Ty Lee has a bold proposal about a way to rehabilitate the princess.

There was one guard in particular that loved causing her pain.  _Use that_ , persisted the voice that used to help Azula know the best people to manipulate. She could see his motives so clearly, despite the fact they had never spoken to each other. It was clear in the way he made sure to stop cinching her punitive corset only when she cried out.  He loved being a prison guard because it gave him license to hurt an entire section of the population who could never return the favour. A sadist, and a coward.

At first, the princess’s stubbornness made her grit her teeth as he pulled the straps tighter, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing he hurt her. It was only after the corset’s grip forced the breath through her clenched jaw that she realized she had miscalculated. If she let him think the garment was tight enough, he might leave it loose enough to draw a full breath. And then she would be able to firebend.

Perhaps it was because Azula finally had something to look forward to, but it seemed that weeks passed before that guard returned. When he did, however, she was ready. She put on her best performance, boasting that he wouldn’t harm her like before, that she could handle whatever his feeble arms could accomplish. Of course, she tightened her jaw as he pulled the straps taut, but she only resisted for a moment before releasing as pained scream. Perfect. Careful not to let her pleasure show, she gasped and spluttered just as she would if the corset was as tight as it needed to be.

The guard laughed, and Azula felt her heart accelerate at this first taste of victory. He believed her.

“Nice try,” he sneered. “You think I’m stopping there? That might work on some of the other idiots on duty, but not on me.”

_No. No no no!_

Panic flooded in where happiness had flickered, and she found herself scrambling for the words to convince him that he had won. Too slow. She was required to have her hands bound in chains, and that meant she couldn’t catch herself as the guard casually swept her feet out from beneath her. The impact winded her, but there was a sharp pain in her side, and the jailer instantly wrapped the straps around his fists and wrenched them harder than anyone had.  The shriek that came from Azula was no act.

Once again, the guard chuckled, and fastened the straps in place. Pain stabbed her side.  _Something’s wrong_ , she thought, dazed, barely registering that the guard was still laughing as he left the cell. Normally, a guard on duty would tighten it just enough to stop her from drawing a deep breath. Enough to stop her from speaking a full sentence without a pause. But this…. This was a new torment entirely. Spasms kept her mind fuzzy. All she could focus on was the constant sensation, and the unshakeable feeling that something was wrong. Broken.  Without air to breathe, she could not call for help - not that it would be any use. The one responsible was the one waiting outside the door. She inched to the bars, gasping. The journey was only a couple feet, but it seemed to take a lifetime. If that sadistic dolt caused the princess to asphyxiate, she promised to figure out how to haunt him and curse whatever pathetic excuse he had for a family.

Had Ty Lee not chosen to visit that afternoon, Azula might have been forced to explore that option. When she arrived, the imprisoned princess was laying against the bars, one metal encased palm feebly stretched to the heavy iron door. Her breathing was rapid and shallow, and her eyes were closed.

“I need some help!” Ty Lee shouted, dropping to her knees and reaching for Azula. “Azula? Azula, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes? It’s me, it’s Ty Lee, you’re going to be okay-”

The door whined as the guard flung it open, accompanied by a few wary spear bearers. They pointed their weapons at the prisoner, but were immediately reprimanded by the visitor. “Put those down and help me! We need to get her out of there- she’s hurt!”

________________________________________________________________

When Azula opened her eyes at last, it was in the medical wing. Her mind meandered through her memories, slowly piecing together why she was someplace other than her cell. When she tried to move, however, she realized she was bound, her wrists chained to the nearby walls like a starfish. Even her hands were encased in metal, completely concealing them. Her feet, she could see, were wrapped in thick leather restraints and attached to the frame of the bed. When she tried to call out to a doctor, a guard, anyone that might explain, she found her mouth trapped behind a rigid mask.

Every inhalation caused the pain in her side to flare. Azula’s mind was just beginning to formulate escape possibilities when Ty Lee appeared. The princess’s breath caught in surprise and jolted her injury, forcing a grimace.

“Hey ‘Zula,” Ty Lee greeted, her voice tender as she approached. With the mask in place, Azula could make no answer. Instead, she fixed the visitor with a helpless raised eyebrow.

_Why am I here? What happened? What’s next?_

“You had a bad accident. You fractured one of your ribs, a little. It was one of the middle ones, so your lungs are okay,” The young woman paused, nibbling her lip anxiously before venturing, “Did you…. Was it on purpose?” Her pale eyes searched for Azula’s. Her response was a vigorous shaking of her head, eyes wide before narrowing them in frustration. Ty Lee seemed relieved, and quickly moved in closer as she dropped her voice to a hushed whisper.

“Did someone try to hurt you?”

Brisk nod.

“Was it a guard?”

Forceful nodding.

“On duty when I came?”

More nods!

“Oh Azula… I’m so sorry this happened. I knew that guard was up to something,” she lightly squeezed the princess’s shoulder. A small comfort, but more than Azula had known for months. A heady mixture of relief, happiness, and peace flooded her, making her forget the ache in her side for just a moment. “But I will make sure he can’t hurt you again.”

There was iron in her voice, and it made Azula equally proud and impressed to see this much determination in the normally mild mannered girl. There was gratitude in there as well, another foreign feeling.

A commotion. Murmuring, scrambling, the scuffling of many anxious feet. Something unexpected had occurred. But there was not a siren. It was not the escape of a prisoner.

Finally Azula heard someone urgently hiss, “The Fire Lord is here!” Beneath her mask, a tired smile bloomed.

_Ah, Zuzu._  Come to see if she was faking, no doubt. Zuko swanned into the room, still looking uncomfortable and dwarfed in his Fire Lord regalia. Several attendants hovered hesitantly nearby, unsure what their ruler required of them. The princess managed a _tch_  sound under her breath.  _Dismiss them, brother. They can’t leave unless you tell them to._

Zuko looked uncertainly at the underlings for a moment before stammering, “That will be all. Uh. Thank you.” The servants silently slipped away, and Ty Lee straightened and stood her ground at Azula’s bedside.

“Zuko! This is– unacceptable. Azula doesn’t need to be tied up like this. She’s hurt. And why was she allowed to be hurt in the first place?!-” The Kyoshi Warrior wasted no time launching her attack. The Fire Lord seemed surprised, and put his hands up defensively.

“It’s just a precaution. The healers had to remove the corset to examine her and this is the only way to make sure she can’t firebend.”

“Firebend?!” Ty Lee echoed, incredulous, “She’s not going to be able to roll herself over, let alone fire bend! And you didn’t answer my question!” Azula smirked, amused to see the chi blocker so worked up on her behalf.

“We can’t be too careful. And as for your question…. I’m looking into that. This definitely isn’t what we wanted,” he met his sister’s eyes at last and had the decency to look apologetic. Azula rolled her eyes in response.

“How, exactly, is this kind of treatment helping Azula? Being chained up like a dangerous animal and left alone all day? She needs help! She needs someone to talk to her and connect her to reality and undo all those thoughts your father-” at this, Ty Lee jabbed an accusing finger at Zuko, “filled her head with for years and years. Leaving her by herself is just going to make her worse, and she will never be able to rejoin society!” The final point seemed to give the young man pause, and he tipped his head thoughtfully. Azula fixed him with a withering look. He probably had no intention of securing her release. If she was imprisoned, she was both contained and out of his mind. If she was ever set free, she would then be able to scheme and return to take his throne from him. Even the thought of it felt like a warm coal in her chest.

“Let me take her.” Ty Lee’s statement caused both the royal siblings to look at her as if she had drawn a weapon.

Zuko uttered the same thing his sister thought: “Are you crazy?”

Ty Lee’s face was full of the warm optimism it always was and she calmly continued, “Send her home with me. I’ll prove that what she needs is some time to forget what your father taught her, and I can do that. Send some guards. If she tries to escape or hurt anyone, lock her back up that instant. No strikes, no chances. This is it. Either she learns with me, or she probably spends the rest of her life chained to the floor of her cell.”

The princess couldn’t believe her ears. Maybe the pain had made her delirious. She didn’t hide her shock as she looked at her brother, feeling her heart thunder with almost hurtful force in her chest. Her pulse only quickened as she realized Zuko was actually considering it. Azula’s golden eyes flitted back to Ty Lee, questioning. All she got in return was the slightest of nods, not wanting to break the tense silence stretching out as the Fire Lord formulated a reply.

“I’ll need to think on this further. Why don’t you come with me, and we can talk about some of the details.” It wasn’t a no!! That made her heart leap so hard that pain rippled down her side. Azula barely noticed it. Ty Lee obediently stepped away to accompany Zuko, and tears welled in the princess’s eyes as she allowed herself to hope that she might actually go free.


End file.
